Portable apparatus for producing fire-extinguishing foam



F. L. BOYD July 25, 1933.

PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING FIRE EXTINGUISHING FOAM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 1928 F. L. BOYD July 25, 1933.

PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING FIRE EXTINGUISHING FOAM Filed June 7, 1928 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I FISHER L. BOYD, OF HAVERFOB/D, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB T NATIONAL FOAM SYSTEM, INQ, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENFISYLVANIA, A

extinguishing the fire.

Patented July 25, 1933 UNITED STATES time PATENT OFFICE- WARE CORPORATION OF DELA- ZPORTABLE APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING FIBE EXTINGUISHING FOAM Application filed June 7,

- In the art of producing fire-extinguishing foam it has been proposed to separately 1ntroduce certain materials such as aluminum sulphate and bicarbonate of soda into fiowing streams of water and thereafter commingling the said streams at or near the point at which a fire exists or may exist to form a large quantity of foam for smothering and My invention relates to apparatus for carrying out such a process.

It has been found that when foam-producing ingredients are mixed together and stored they are apt to cake and to lose their efiiciency, when they are subsequently 1ntroduced nto water to produce fire-extinguishing foam; hence it is desirable that they be kept in separate containers and introduced separately into separate streams of water, which streams are afterwards united into a single stream as above indicated.

It therefore is the general object of my invention to provide a novel construction of means by which foam-producing ingredients may be introduced separately into separate streams of water.

A further object of my invention is to pro vide apparatus for producing foam for the extinguishing of fires in which means of novel construction is provided for controlling the flow of fluid through a condult or vide a novel construction of means for simulvalve members are employed to control-the supply of foani-producing ingredients to water conduits and for controlling the flow of water through the said conduits,the said valve operating when being closed, first to close the openings through which the foam producing ingredients are delivered and thereafter to close the conduits ortubes through which the water flows, and operat- 1928. Serial No. 283,494. j

ing when being opened first to open the con-' duits and subsequently the openings to permit the introduction of foam-producing material thereinto. r

- Another objectof my invention is to provide means which includes a valve element for controlling the supply f foam ingredient to. a fluid conduit, for controlling the flow of fluid through said conduityand' for V vide a valve of novel construction having passageways therein so constructed as to effect acceleration-of the flow of fluid therethrough, the flow of fluid through said valve a rotary valve being controlled bymeans of element of novel construction; p

' Other objects and advantages of the invention. will be pointedout in the following descriptionor will scription.

In order to more fully comprehend the principle of the invention reference may be iad to the accompanying drawings inwhich I have illustrated one embodiment thereof, but it should be understood that changes in be apparent from such dedetails of the construction of the illustrated I embodiment may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

In the said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top planview of the apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in sectional side elevation taken on the line 22 of Fig.1 Q

Fig. 8 is a view in cross section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; 1 r

Fig. 4 is a view partly in longitudinal section and partly in side elevation taken on the line 4l4 of Fig. 3; and

rotary valveelements employed in my novel apparatus. I p l In the drawings I have shown a fluid (usually water) supply pipeto which water may be conducted by means of a hose or other .fiuid conducting means which may be connected thereto in known manner. The pipe or conduit 1 is branched to form a pair of conduits 2' and 2, which conduits discharge into valves Fig. 5" is a view in perspective of one of the 3 and 3 respectively, which valves are prac tically identical in construction. The branch conduit 2 constitutes an inward passageway for the valve or valve body 3 which also is provided with an outlet or discharge conduit or passageway 4 formed integrally therewith, as is clearlyshown. An additional inlet passageway 5 is formed in the said valve body into and through which a foam-produci-ng ingredient is adapted to be introduced from a hopper, a portion of which is shown at 6. The said hopper 6 is detachably secured to the valve body by means of aecoupling indicated at 7. The valve 3 likewise is provided with a discharge conduit 4' and foam ingredient inlet 5 to which a hopper 6' is detachably connected in the-same manner as the hopper 6 is .connectedto the valve body 3.

' One ofsthe said hoppers is adapted to supply one kind of foam-producing material such as an aluminum sulphate mixed with a sta-' 2 of the two branch conduits and the others of which are formed on the conduits 4 and a as indicated at 11 and 11'. The apparatus may be carried from place to place by means of a handle 12 having one end thereof connected to a projection 13 formed at the junc' tionof theconduits 2 and 2 and the other end connectedto the cross member 14 which is connected to the ends of the legs 11 and 11 as shown.

The valve body 3 is provided with a stationary plug 15 which is mounted within and concentrically of a slightly tapered opening 16 formed in one side of the said valve body,

the said plug being secured to the latter by means of screws 17 in such a position as to place the passageway 18 in the said plug in alinement'with the inlet and outlet passageways 2 and 4 of the said valve. A passageway 19, in alinement with the opening 5, is formed in the said plug which intersects the passageway 18 atsubstantiallya right angle and tapers outwardly therefrom, as shown, into the outwardly tapered passageway 5. For convenience of manufacture the lefthand end portion (having reference to Fig. 2) of the passageway 18 is enlarged but thereafter is provided with a short tubular member 20 to reduce the same to thedesired diameter. Thepassageway 18 is restricted at 21, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The interior of the outlet conduit 4 is so shaped that in conjunction with the outer end portion of the passageway 18 and the flow restrictor 20 a venturi is'formed. For controlling the flow of fluid through the valve body and the supply of foam-producing innow will be described.

gredient thereto a rotary slightly tapered tubular valve member 22 is provided between thewalls of the stationary plug 15 and the valve body. One end of the member 22 is closed and cooperates with the plug 15 to close the open side of the opening in the valve body previously referred to. The member 22 is rotatably mounted upon the plug 15 by means of a screw 23 which extends through an opening in the closed end of the said member 22 and engages the plug 15. The said rotary valve member 22 is provided with ports 24: and 25 which are adapted to register with the passageway through the valve body 3 and theplug 15 and also with a port 26 adapted to register with the inlet opening 5 for the foam-producing ingredient. The ports are so disposed in the rotary valve member 22 and are of such dimensions that when it is moved from closed to-open position the passageway through the valve structure for the water will first he opened, after which upon further opening movement thereof the passageway consisting of the openings 5 and 19 in alinement with each other will be opened to permit delivery of a foam-producing ingredient from the hopper 6. When the rotary valve member 22 is moved. in the opposite direction into closed position the opening 5 from the hopper 6 is first closed, after which upon further movement of said member the passageway through which the water is adapted to flow is closed.

The valve structure within the valve body 3' is identical. with that located in the valve body 3 just described so that a description thereof is unnecessary.

The rotary valve members 22 in the two valve bodies 3 and 3 are adapted to be rotated simultaneously and in unison by means which A shaft 30 extends between the adjoining valve bodies 3 and 3' and its opposite ends project through openings in the opposing walls thereof, as shown in Fig. 3. The opposite ends of the shaft 30 which project into the chambers of the said valve bodies are square and have mounted thereon arms 31 which are parallel to each other and the outer swinging ends of which engage notches 32 provided in the inner edges of the valve members 22. For the purpose ofpermitting oscillatory or swinging movements of the arms 31 to effect corresponding movements of the rotary valve members 22 I have provided segmental shaped openings 33 in the inner sides or ends of the stationary valve plugs 15. For the purpose of actuating the shaft 30 to cause swinging movements of the arms 31 to adjust the rotary valve members 22 I have secured to the said shaft intermediate the valve structures an arm 35 the outer end of which is connected to one end of a link 36 the opposite end of which is pivotally connected to one end of a manually operable lever 37 which is pivoted intermediate its ends at 38 to the outlet portion a of the valve body 3.

r-rny other suitable means may be .employed for actu'ating,.tliat is for oscillating, the shaft 30 to effect movements or adjustments of the rotary valve members 22 into positions desired within the valve bodies.

It will be apparent that both of the rotatable valve members22. are actuated simultanes ously and in unison whereby the flow of Water through the two branch pipes and the delivery of the respective foam-producing ingredients into the said pipes and into the water flowing therethrough are simultaneously controlled and eiiected.

It also will be seen that lhave provided an apparatus of simple but novel construction which is portable andwhich, as actual demonstration has established, may be used with high efficiency.

Having thus described my inventiomwhat I claim and desire to secure by Lettersla'tent is:

1. Apparatus for producing fire extinguishing foam comprising a conduit through which wateris adapted to flow, means for supplying a foam-producing ingredient to I said conduit simultaneously with the flow of water therethrough, a single valve element adapted to cut olf successively the supply of foam-producing ingredient to said conduit and: the flow of water therethrough, and

means for accelerating the flow of fluid through said conduit at the point of admission thereto of said foam producing ingre- (lient.

2. Apparatus for producing fire-extin guishing foam comprising'a pair of conduits through which streams of water flow simultaneously, means for discharging a foamproducing ingredient into the respective streams of water in the said conduits, a single valve element in each of said conduits adapted to positively control the supply-of foamproduc'ing ingredient to said conduit inde pendently of the water pressure, said element being also adapted to control the flow of water through said conduit, andmeans havmg connection with both of said valve elements for simultaneously actuating the same,

3. Apparatus r for producing fire eXtinguishing foam comprisin a pair ofconduits through which streams or water flow rimultaneously, means for discharging av foamproducing ingredient into each or said-con duits, a single valve element in eachof said conduits adapted to cut off successively the supply of foam-producing ingredient said conduit and the flow ofwater therethrough,

v and means having connection with both of said valve elements for simultaneously actu;

ating the same.

4. Apparatus for producing fire-extinguishing foam comprising a pa r of conduits through which streams of water flow simul-V taneousl means for dischar in a foamn I c b I produc ng ingredient into each of said conduits, a single'valve elementin each ofsaidf conduits adapted to cut off successively the supply of foam-producing ingredient to said conduitand the flow of water therethrough, means having connection with both of said valve elements for simultaneously actuating the same, and means for accelerating the flow of fluid through said conduits.

5. Apparatus for producing fire-extinguisliing foam comprising a pair of conduits through-which streams of water flow siinul-l taneously, means for discharginga foamproducing ingredient into" each of said' conduits, a slnglevalve element in each of said conduits a'dapted when open to permit the a valve comprising abody having a pair of inlets and an outlet formed thereinand a rotary vaive mounted in said body adapted to establishcommunication successively and simultaneously between each of said'inlets V and the said outlet, said valve having a ven turi formed therein, the restricted portion of'which is located at the inlet from the foam ingredient supply. I

7. In apparatus ofthe character described a valve comprising a body having inlet and outlet passageways therein and a chamber 3 into whichsaid passageways open, astation ary member. circular n cross section mounted in said chamber 111 spaced relation to the sides thereof, said member having a passageway hereth rough in alinenient with said pas 'sageways and adapted to be placed in communication therewith, said passageways and 1' the passageway constituting 'aventuri, and

a valve annular'in cross section supported upon said member and-located in the space between the same and the sides of said chamher for controlling communication-;between said inletand outlet passageways. I

8. ln apparatus of-the character described a valve comprising a body having inlet and outlet passageways formed therein, a stationary plug mounted in said body having a passageway therethrough, said passageways and passageway constituting a venturi, and a rotatable'valve of annular cross section supported upon and surrounding said plug for controlling communication betweensaid inlet and outlet passageways FISHER orn. 

